Editorial: Pay attention to Pakistan's political problems

Friday

Aug 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 29, 2008 at 2:50 PM

Imagine if Republicans and Democrats in Congress forged an alliance and pressured President Bush into resigning. Then, days later, Democrats got fed up with the GOP and quit the government - leaving the nation, and the rest of world, wondering what would happen next in the power struggle.

Imagine if Republicans and Democrats in Congress forged an alliance and pressured President Bush into resigning. Then, days later, Democrats got fed up with the GOP and quit the government - leaving the nation, and the rest of world, wondering what would happen next in the power struggle.

Sound far-fetched? That's pretty much what transpired over the past couple weeks in Pakistan.

In mid-August, the ruling coalition government sought to impeach strongman President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf promptly bailed, claiming he wanted to spare the nation grief. No doubt he also wanted to spare himself the humiliation of answering formal charges. Though President Bush considered him a friend in the war on terror, Musharraf was very unpopular. Last year, he suspended the constitution, imposed martial law and purged Pakistan's judicial system, including the chief justice of his nation's highest court. Not very democratic.

But with Musharraf gone, the governing coalition's two main factions began bickering. Nawaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N Party, demanded the deposed judges be reinstated. He accused the Pakistan People's Party - led by Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto - of dragging its feet on the matter. This week, a fed-up Sharif yanked his party out of the coalition. An ambitious Zardari, meanwhile, decided he'd like to be president.

Americans may be preoccupied watching their own presidential drama, but they should pay attention to Pakistan. So should would-be White House occupants Barack Obama and John McCain, one of whom will have to reckon with whoever succeeds Musharraf. The U.S. needs Pakistan as an ally against the Taliban and al-Qaida, both of which have regrouped in the region.

Indeed, Pakistan "is the front line right now in the war against terrorism," said Farhat Haq, a Pakistani native and professor of political science at Monmouth College. "In this crisis," she added, "what's good for the Pakistani people is also good for the United States."

First and foremost, that would be restoring the rule of law, which Musharraf undermined. A functioning democracy needs an independent judicial branch. Incidentally, Bhutto's husband - nicknamed "Mr. Ten Percent" for allegedly getting contract kickbacks - is said to want to keep the judiciary weak because he's afraid the law will come after him for previous allegations of graft. If he wins, the U.S. may be dealing with yet another corrupt leader. That's not so good.

Still, Haq said it's important for the U.S. to stay neutral as the power struggle unfolds. Pakistanis must feel they have a fairly elected government, and it's up to them to sort it out. Indeed, Bush's unwavering support of the unpopular Musharraf fueled anti-American feelings. Some Pakistanis considered him a puppet of the U.S., which led them to sympathize with the Taliban. That's no good, either. In order to fight the influence of religious extremism, Haq says Pakistanis "have to show we're not fighting this war for the United States, we're fighting this war for ourselves."

Like Americans, Pakistanis are facing a crucial election. Like Americans, they're dealing with a struggling economy. Like Americans, modern Pakistanis want a representative government and a peaceful nation. To the degree the U.S. and Pakistan can find commonalities and remain allies, it will benefit both.